Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Bug Test

Tomorrow is the big day. I get to go to the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service and take a test to get a Commercial Pesticide Applicators License. If I get better than 70% on the test I can then pay the state money for the actual license.

The manuals I have been studying are very anti-pesticide use. Use only as a last resort when a damage threshold has been passed or can be reasonably expected to occur.

This is just another item to add to my resume. Many jobs I have applied for require this license.

So should I kill this Bug? The law says I am legally required to know what it is first.















It will be interesting to see what happens come winter. Are all the bugs and vermin going to head for the warm house when it gets cold or do they just die off?

I have been a bit shocked by the pests here. I came from the tropics. I am used to all kinds of bugs year round and plenty of mice and rats. I am not used to mice that fall out of the ceiling or spiders that like to crawl over you in bed at night.

I have taken certain actions without a license.















Soon I hope to have a license to kill: Bugs












That I will likely rarely use.

6 comments:

chuck b. said...

Spiders crawl on you at night?

This North Carolina suddenly sounds like a terrifying place. I hate spiders.

In summertime, cockroaches used to crawl up from the drain in my kitchen sink in Atlanta which made me nauseous once or twice. I used to just let the hot water run.

In California, ants usually start appearing inside when it cools down in fall, but they don't last very long.

chuck b. said...

And good luck!

Annie in Austin said...

An insect that's interesting outside may be a pest inside. I like to try to photograph them in the garden, but I wouldn't be very calm about the spiders in the boudoir!

We hear the term Integrated Pest Management here in Austin, with its admonitions to first find out whether there really is a problem, before assuming every visible insect is out to get us.

Good luck with the test, Christopher.

Annie

Cheryl said...

Good luck with the test.
And what is that caterpillar? As kids we used to scare each other talking about what a terrible sting it has, but I never did work up the courage to verify.

Christopher C. NC said...

Well the test was pretty rudimentary so I would hope that I passed. I will hear from them in two weeks.

IPM, Integrated Pest Management is now the standard for Ag Departments and Extension Services. You are expected to co-exist with bugs until a damage threshold has been passed. This threshold is subjective depending on what is involved. In hospitals and food processing the tolerance is often zero.

Yes there are two kinds of spiders that like to hang out in my luxury basement accomodations. The bigger, quarter sized tarantula like spider is the one that likes to get in bed with me the most. I have a spider injury from smacking my hand on the computer desk while flailing about in the dark.

Cheryl I had to go hunting . I think this is a Giant Leopard Moth caterpillar - Hypercompe scribonia

The Moth is pretty neat looking.

Cheryl said...

Thanks Christopher.
Now I remember the wooly bear name, and am glad I didn't touch them. They actually are as dangerous as they look.

Those spiders sound like wolf spiders. They sound well fed. My son would love your place.